Captive Audience
by Dromeda
Summary: Follows 'Open Invitation' - A midnight ride goes awry when Rogue and Logan are captured by Magneto.


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**Author's Notes:** Takes place after my story _Open Invitation_.  
**Disclaimer:** Not mine. Characters are the property of Marvel. I'm just borrowing them for awhile.

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**Captive Audience**

Why'd it have to be Magneto? Why'd it have to be one of the few bastards out there capable of handing my ass to me? Damn metal bones.

No, scratch that.

Why'd I have to go and decide that tonight was a great night to plant Rogue on the back of my motorcycle and go for a midnight ride?

Oh, yeah. It's because we live in a mansion full of nosy gossips who can't mind their own goddamn business!

After that night in the kitchen things changed between Rogue and me and it's been good. But neither of us are the type to shout things from rooftops so we'd kept it just between us like it should be. That all changed this morning when Kitty phased into Rogue's bedroom just as I was stealing a kiss. By afternoon I'd had everyone's opinion on the matter whether I wanted it or not.

Scott frowned and wanted to know what my angle was. Jean told me I'm cruel to be trying to get back with her by playing with Rogue's feelings for me. Jean can be awfully clueless for a telepath though Ororo and Kitty seem to be of the same opinion. Whatever. Rogue knows that I've got no interest in Jean and that's all that matters. Hank just flashed his canines and quoted something literary at me. Drake is sure this all some sort of elaborate prank. Like I do pranks.

Nightcrawler and Forge were the exceptions. Kurt clapped me on the shoulder and wished us well. Forge just got that faraway look in his eyes he gets when the gears are turning and asked me if I wanted him to work on a safer version of the mutation-suppression collar. I thanked him but told him that was something he needed to talk to Rogue about.

After all of that I decided that the best thing would be to grab Rogue and take-off for a few hours. And things were going good right up until Quicksilver showed up, pacing the speed of the bike and ripping Rogue right off the back. Then there was Magneto standing right in the middle of the road. He sent me and the bike flying in opposite directions.

I don't know what I hit, but I hit it hard enough to black out. They must've pumped me full of something while I was down to keep me that way until they got us to wherever the hell we are. And it must've been strong stuff 'cos my healing is still fighting the effects. I feel heavy and lethargic and my brain feels full of cotton.

I'm in a 15 x 15 metal room bound to the back wall by thick metal bands across my knees, waist, and chest. Magneto was also smart enough to position my arms under the chest band so that if I try to pop my claws to cut through the metal I'll end up puncturing my lungs and at least nicking my heart in the process. Neither would kill me, but would incapacitate me long enough for someone to get Magneto back here and string me up again.

And that's half the problem: I'm not alone in here. Blob and Avalanche are sittin' at a metal table next to the door playing—I shit you not—Go Fish. Even that's probably stretching the limits of Blob's brain. Things look more organized now that Magneto's in charge, but eventually they will make a mistake—they're the Brotherhood, it's what they do. They'll leave me unguarded and I'll cut myself free. But I don't think I can wait that long 'cos my mind is starting to clear and I can smell her blood.

Rogue.

She's close and she's bleeding and it's enough for me focus past the effects of Magneto's drugs. I can hear her voice now. She's in the next room and I can hear Quicksilver in there, too. He's the one hurting her.

He's a dead man.

Rogue told me all about her short time with the Brotherhood and how Pietro Maximoff was a constant thorn in her side. He'd take the fact that she was only pretending to be one of them personal; he'd want revenge.

Fuck!

It doesn't explain Magneto's part in this—I can't see him avenging his son's hurt pride. But, right now, I don't give a fuck. I just need to get to Rogue and fix whatever damage Quicksilver has done.

Before it's beyond fixing.

I push against my bonds. The metal creaks but holds fast and all I manage to do is draw Avalanche's attention. "Hold your noise, X-Man," Avalanche tells me, "you accomplish nothing. And I guarantee you will not like it if I am forced to quiet you myself."

"Try me," I growled back.

The _clank_ of a heavy lock interrupted before Avalanche could respond. The heavy door to my prison swung open and there stood Magneto. "Leave us," Magneto said, his eyes never leaving mine. Blob and Avalanche tossed down their cards and filed out of the room shutting the door behind them. Magneto took two steps into the room and I realized with a sniff of the air that I wasn't facing the real deal.

I waited until Not-Magneto stood a foot in front of me before I said "You're not foolin' anyone, Mystique."

"Perhaps not you," Mystique—still in Magneto's form—smirked, "but I do so love making an entrance." She shifted then into her own form: red hair, blue skin, yellow eyes, and a white leather getup that left little to the imagination.

"What do you want, Mystique? Another little trip down memory lane?" Dammit! I don't have time for this shit!

"Nothing quite so sentimental, Wolverine," she purred while running her index finger across my chest just above the metal band holding me there. "I'm here to watch you suffer." Smug grin in place, Mystique paced away from me to the left-hand wall. "I wasn't about to miss the opportunity to watch you in your helplessness while Quicksilver takes his pound of flesh from your little squeeze." She morphed then into Rogue's form; her face cut, swollen, and bruised.

I growled and struggled against my bonds. I had to get to Rogue and I had to get to her _now_.

Mystique's grin turned into a full-on smile while she re-took her own form. "That's it, Wolverine, struggle. Pop your claws. Bleed. You'll never even make it to the door." She patted a gun in a holster attached to her right thigh. "How would your healing factor—weakened from self-inflicted wounds—stand-up against a massive overdose of horse tranquilizer?"

So that's what they shot me full of.

"If it's any consolation," Mystique continued, "Quicksilver has strict orders not to kill your little Rogue. Magneto has big plans for her and needs her breathing... just."

She paced back to me and leaned against the wall at my side, arms crossed. "I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't her. She doesn't seem your type. I mean the big, bad Wolverine falling for a girl whose skin he can't touch. And you do so like to touch, don't you, Wolverine?"

"Jealous?" I threw out just to piss her off.

"Hardly," Mystique huffed and rolled her eyes. She'd pushed away from the wall and was facing me again. "Whatever torch I carried for you extinguished a long time ago, James—oh, I'm sorry: you don't remember James—I burn for another now."

"So, you and Magneto, eh?" She reeks of him. "You two deserve each other."

Mystique frowned. "Erik Lehnsherr is a visionary! One day he will be remembered as the savior of Mutant-kind!"

"Yeah, he's one hell of a guy," I said with a sneer. "So great, in fact, that he'll spill mutant blood if it means he'll get his war against Humans."

"Sometimes sacrifices must be made," Mystique said with chin raised in defiance. "But the end justifies the means. That includes your Rogue."

The door to my prison swung open again and in strolled Quicksilver with Toad capering at his heels. Quicksilver pulled off a pair of heavy leather gloves and tossed them at my feet. His uniform was flecked with dots of red. Blood. Zero guesses whose.

"Visiting hours at the zoo are over," Quicksilver said to Mystique, "Father wants us to attend a little demonstration."

"What about him?" Mystique gestured to me with her head.

"Toad'll keep an eye on him."

Mystique frowned and crossed her arms over her chest. "Why don't we just leave the door wide open?"

"Toad's an idiot but even he can guard a guy stuck to a wall. Besides, the demo won't take long and we're movin' out right after."

While they talked my eyes never left Quicksilver and those red stains on his clothes. I didn't growl. Didn't snarl or pull at my bonds this time. I was past that now. A strange calm had settled over me as visions of Quicksilver hanging from the rafters by his own intestines floated in front of my eyes. My voice was low and steady when I said "Learn to sleep with one eye open, Pietro Maximoff, 'cos I'm gonna make you pay for every drop of her blood you've spilled."

"Ah, the ubiquitous threat," Pietro said as he came to lean against the wall at my side with arms crossed. "Wolverine, Wolverine, Wolverine, how... _impotent_ you must feel trapped here while I make your girlfriend pay for spying on the Brotherhood. It's a shame you won't get to say good-bye because, when my father is finished with her, there'll be nothing left but a used-up husk and the world will know what happens to those who cross me."

Quicksilver pushed away from the wall and marched out of the room. Mystique followed but not before throwing me one final glare. She paused next to Toad and I saw her pass something to him—the tranq gun. She slammed the door behind her.

Time was up. I had to get to Rogue before Magneto did to her whatever it is he plans to do. Toad is their weakest link, even with a gun full of tranquilizer darts. I need to cut myself free and get to Toad before he can either shoot me or run and get help and I need to do it while my body heals from punctured lungs.

I'd begun counting down from 100 in my head the second Mystique slammed that door behind her—enough time for Mystique and Quicksilver to get away from this room before I popped the claws.

17... 16... 15...

I let the anger surface. The adrenaline surged and my vision turned red.

5... 4... 3...

The building rocks. Chunks fall from the ceiling. Screaming from the next room. Commotion. Toad shrieks "What's that?"

I pop the claws.

Agony. Searing, white-hot pain as my claws pierce skin, muscle, organs, and the metal band holding my upper body to the wall. I collapse forward, still bound by the bands at waist and knees. I slice through both.

I'm free.

Gunfire in the next room. More screaming. The building is still shaking. Toad is cowering under the metal table with arms covering his head.

My lungs are filling with blood. I struggle to pull in a breath, but I can feel the wounds beginning to close—a lesser agony that I focus on and keep driving forward.

A deep furrow splits the floor in front of me and I stumble. Toad notices me then. He raises the gun to fire and I lunge away with a growl. Not fast enough. The dart pierces the flesh of my shoulder and empties its contents into my veins.

_Fuck_!

It's strong stuff. I can feel myself slowing; my vision darkening at the edges. My healing factor is already working overtime to heal the damage to my lungs and the drugs are taking a backseat to that.

I will myself to hang-on. I kick the tranq gun out of Toad's grasp. A second kick to the underside of his chin takes him out.

And I'm at the door.

The claws make quick work of the lock and I stumble out and slam against the hallway wall opposite. My knees buckle and I go down.

I'm so close. I can smell Rogue; she's in the room thirty feet away where all the commotion is coming from. The fighting sounds intensify. I've gotta get to her!

I try to pull myself to my feet. I pitch forward and land on my face instead. The tranq has saturated my system now. I hold on long enough to hear a distinct magnetic hum and see the door to Rogue's prison ripped apart. Then I was out.

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"Logan! Logan, please wake-up!"

Someone was rolling me onto my back. They called my name again and my foggy brain finally recognized the voice. "Darlin'?"

"It's me."

My head was now cradled in her lap with gloved fingers stroking the hair off my forehead.

Rogue.

I forced my heavy eyelids open and took in the welcome sight. It was her; really her—alive, but definitely hurtin'. She looked much like Mystique had shown me in my cell: her white streak was stained red and matted against a bleeding cut on her forehead, her cheeks and eyes were swollen with bruises beginning to form, and her lips were split and crusted with drying blood. It was so close to Mystique's imitation that I found myself sniffing the air just to be sure. Rogue caught me testing the air. She quirked an eyebrow and leaned down closer to my face. "It really is me. Would you like me to prove it to you?" The last part was purred close to my ear.

I huffed out a laugh through my nose. "Maybe later, darlin', when I'm not flat on my ass in one of Magneto's hideouts."

Rogue grinned as much as her injured face would allow and helped me sit-up against the wall. "What happened in there?" I asked.

"Magneto wanted to use me to power this machine that's supposed to turn humans into mutants," she began, settling next to me. "The machine was designed around his magnetic powers, but it would've killed him—that's why he wanted me. He was going to touch me, give me his powers, and let me be the one who died instead."

"Bastard!" I snarled. "Does this machine of his actually work?"

"Dunno. He'd captured two MRD soldiers and was going to test it on them before going large scale."

"So, how'd you break out?"

She smiled then as much as her split lips allowed. "Magneto was under the impression that I'd have no control over the power he gave me—that his mutation would flow through me and automatically power his machine. Instead, as soon as he touched me, I used his power to break out of his machine. He'd already touched me long enough to pass out so, I only had the rest of the Brotherhood goons to deal with.

"I took a page outta Magneto's book and trapped Quicksilver and Avalanche in metal bonds. Avalanche kept trying to rock his way free so, I touched him and then I did the same to Quicksilver. Dom got a few shots off at me before I was able to trap and touch her. I had to bring part of the ceiling down on top of Blob to keep him down. Mystique was a real pain in the ass; she'd just change her shape whenever I tried trapping her in metal. I had to deal with her the old fashioned way. Guess I should thank you for all those extra Danger Room sessions. With that outfit she wears it was easy enough to get a piece of her skin and take her down. I freed the MRD soldiers and then used Magneto's power to rip the door down. They ran down the opposite hallway and here I am."

"That's my girl," I said as I reached a bare hand to her face. She grabbed my wrist in her gloved hand before I could make contact.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she asked, incredulous.

"Healing you."

"Not here, Logan," Rogue said, bringing my hand down and resting it on her knee. "It can wait until we get home and you've had a chance to get your strength back."

I held her eyes with my own, "I'm fine. Let me do this for you."

"Logan, you were the first thing I saw when I busted out of that room. For a second there I thought you were dead. I will let you touch me, but later when I know for a fact your healing factor can take another hit. Besides, with all that touching I just did my mind feels a little crowded right now. I need time to file them all away."

"I hate seeing you hurt," I said softly.

"I know," Rogue replied just as quietly.

Using the wall behind me I pushed to my feet and put a hand down to help her up. "Let's get outta here before the MRD show-up for their guys. We'll get a hold of Forge and have him pick us up in the jet."

"That's the sweetest thing I've heard all day," she replied while wrapping both her arms around one of mine.

"Oh, yeah?" I asked. "How 'bout I love you?"

Rogue smiled, "Even sweeter."

-END-


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